Morning mail: GPs fume, Trump’s CFO charged, Australia last on climate

Friday: GPs are dealing with patient confusion over the PM’s ‘unhelpful’ vaccine comments. Plus: doctors prescribe creativity for wellbeing

Good morning. The current Covid crisis is causing a mess for Australians in the country and those stuck overseas. GPs are continue to bear the brunt of conflicting AstraZeneca messages from the government, and a national cabinet meeting today may cut the number of international arrivals to try and contain the Delta variant. Meanwhile northern America is facing a different crisis as heatwaves cause hundreds of deaths and cripple infrastructure.

General practitioners say they are being “left to hold the mess” created by the confused and conflicting statements from officials about the AstraZeneca vaccine. Dr Todd Cameron, a Melbourne-based GP, said it would be “an understatement to say there is a drop of confidence” in AstraZeneca following Scott Morrison’s “unhelpful” comments and shift on eligibility for under-40s. His clinic was delivering about 300 AstraZeneca doses each day during Victoria’s recent lockdown, but that has now fallen to between 40 to 80 doses. Those still coming for AstraZeneca now needed far longer, more complex conversations to ensure informed consent, he said. NSW GP Dr Anna Davidson said it was a “full-time job keeping up with the state of flux”.

A national cabinet meeting today will decide the fate of international arrivals. The premiers of Victoria and Queensland are calling for a dramatic reduction to the number of people allowed to travel to Australia, with the Queensland deputy premier using figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics to suggest too many non-Australians are travelling to the country. So how many people are travelling to Australia, and why? Is it “better to lock some people out than to lock everyone down”?. Here’s what we know about travel to and from Australia since the pandemic started.

The Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, have been charged with a “sweeping and audacious illegal payment scheme” of tax-related crimes, marking the first criminal charges against the former president’s companyfollowing a years-long investigation by New York prosecutors. Weisselberg, who has worked for the Trump family for nearly 50 years, has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers said he would “fight these charges in court”. Weisselberg surrendered to the authorities at the Manhattan criminal courthouse at 6.20am on Thursday and was charged by the Manhattan district attorney with failing to properly report company perks, including rent-free apartments, school fees and cars. While no charges were expected to be brought against Trump personally, they mark an extraordinary turning point and more are likely to follow.

A devastating “heat dome” that has caused temperatures to rise to almost 50C in Canada has been linked to hundreds of deaths, melted power lines, buckled roads and sparked wildfires. Some 486 sudden deaths were reported over five days during British Columbia’s unprecedented heatwave. Climate scientists have warned nowhere is safe from the kind of extreme heat events and urged governments to dramatically ramp up their efforts to tackle the escalating climate emergency.

Australia

Australia has been ranked last for climate action out of nearly 200 countries in a report assessing progress towards global sustainable development goals.

HIV transmission dropped 90% for men taking PrEP, an Australian study has found. The trial results show the drug could play a vital role in eliminating the virus, which infected more than 200 people in NSW last year.

The Australian government is facing fresh calls to repatriate women and children from camps in north-east Syria, with top Red Cross officials warning time is running out “to prevent further distress and suffering” for the 60 Australians there.

The world

A long-awaited statue of Princess Diana was finally unveiled at Kensington Palace on Thursday by Prince William and Prince Harry, who reunited in tribute to their mother on what would have been her 60th birthday. But not everyone is impressed with the “awkward, lifeless statue”.

Afghan civilians have taken up arms against the Taliban as foreign troops depart the region. Citizens have been forced to react to spiralling violence with militants seizing at least 50 the of the country’s nearly 400 districts since May.

Sexual assault advocates and survivors said Bill Cosby’s release from prison should be a “battle cry” amid concerns the decision could have a chilling effect on survivors seeking to hold their abusers accountable.

New Covid cases in Europe rose 10% last week after falling for 10 straight weeks, and the WHO is warning of a possible new surge while calling for more monitoring of Euro 2020 matches.

Recommended reads

Bridie Jabour had just finished writing a book about what’s important when she almost lost everything important to her after a truck hit the car she was travelling in with her family. “There is an understandable impulse to imbue our life with meaning, and in particular for significant experiences to have meaning. So since we are supposed to learn something from these experiences, did I learn anything from brushing up against my own mortality?”

After fleeing persecution in Myanmar, Jaivet Ealom was detained in a “torture camp” on Manus Island. Ealom’s book, Escape from Manus, tells the story of his journey. In particular, his six-month odyssey to flee the offshore detention centre using tricks he had learned from the TV series Prison Break, which involved, among other things, studying his guards’ movements and faking his identity.

During a press conference signalling rising Covid-19 case numbers last week, a list of projects began percolating in Jennifer Macey’s mind. “Sewing is my hope and my balm for this lockdown. I’ve only been doing it for couple of years, but something happens after hours spent stitching, cutting fabric and puzzling over patterns – I feel calmer and happier … If crocheting and sewing is so good for our mood, why don’t doctors prescribe it? Well, some GPs already are.”

Listen

The merry consensus that guided national cabinet through most of the Covid-19 pandemic spectacularly snapped this week after the prime minister surprised state and territory leaders by announcing a change to AstraZeneca vaccine advice. Editor-in-chief Lenore Taylor and head of news Mike Ticher discuss rising frustration among the nation’s leaders and what it means for Australia’s pandemic response.

Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.

Sport

Ash Barty and Nick Kyrgios are both through to the next round in Wimbledon. Barty defeated Anna Blinkova 6-4, 6-3 and is the favourite to claim a first singles title on Saturday week. Kyrgios beat Gianluca Mager 7-6 (9-7), 6-4, 6-4. And Roger Federer has knocked out Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-1), 6-1, 6-4.

Mark Cavendish made it a hat-trick of wins in Châteauroux, blasting past his sprint rivals once more to claim his 32nd stage win in the Tour de France.

Media roundup

The NSW government will use student dentists, nurses, podiatrists and speech pathologists to administer Covid-19 vaccines to bolster staffing levels as it expands its network of vaccine hubs, the SMH reports. Brisbane bus drivers are being forced to work during the three-day lockdown out of fear they would not be paid, says the Rail, Tram and Bus Union in the Brisbane Times. Questions have been raised about whether there is enough support for frontline police officers in Western Australia after two suicides in the last fortnight, reports the West Australian.

Coming up

Prime minister Scott Morrison is expected to leave quarantine at The Lodge and drive to Parliament House for the national cabinet meeting to discuss international flight caps and current Covid outbreaks.

Anthony Albanese will address the National Press Club.